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Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record (Forwarded)



 
 
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Old February 13th 08, 04:16 AM posted to sci.space.news
Andrew Yee[_1_]
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Default Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record (Forwarded)

Keith Koehler
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia January 4, 2008
757-824-1579

Peter West
National Science Foundation
703-292-8070

RELEASE: 08-06

Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record

NASA and the National Science Foundation have achieved a new
milestone in conducting scientific observations from balloons, by
launching and operating three long-duration flights within a single
Antarctic summer.

"Having three long-duration balloon science missions flying
simultaneously is a record-setting event. But of greater
significance is the increase in science that can be accomplished
with only a modest increase in cost to the program," said David
Gregory, assistant chief of NASA's Balloon Program at Wallops Flight
Facility in Virginia.

Unique atmospheric circulation over Antarctica during its summer
months allows scientists to launch balloons from a site near McMurdo
Station, the Foundation's logistics hub in Antarctica, and recover
them from nearly the same spot weeks later. During that time, each
balloon circles the continent one to three times. Scientists from
the United States, Japan, South Korea, France and other countries
are using the balloons to investigate the nature of
ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and to search for antimatter.

The three payloads will ride the stratospheric winds in the polar
vortex, a persistent low-pressure system above the Antarctic
continent that will help keep balloons aloft for up to six weeks.
This orbital pattern allows for long and continuous observations of
a variety of phenomena from a single instrument at a fraction of the
cost of launching a satellite into space.

The payloads launched Dec. 19-26 from McMurdo are the University
of Maryland's Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiment, the
Balloon borne Experiment with a Superconducting Spectrometer (BESS)
developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. and
Japan's High Energy Accelerator Center, Tsukuba, Japan, and
Louisiana State University's Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC).

The CREAM investigation will search for characteristic changes in
elemental composition and energy spectra of very high-energy cosmic
rays that might be associated with a particle acceleration limit in
supernovae. ATIC is focusing on cosmic rays electrons, which are of
particular interest because they are subject to synchrotron energy
loses, so structure in their spectrum may be linked to individual,
nearby sources. BESS will provide definitive measurements of
low-energy antiprotons in solar minimum conditions, with precise
data that will constrain models for dark matter, in addition to
placing limits on decay of primordial black holes and cosmological
antimatter.
Once the balloon flights are completed, the payloads will be
retrieved, brought back to McMurdo, and then returned to the U.S.,
where they can be refurbished and launched again.

National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA conduct an annual
scientific-balloon campaign during the Antarctic summer. NSF manages
the U.S. Antarctic Program and provides logistic support for all
U.S. scientific operations in Antarctica. The Foundation facilitated
the launches and will recover the payloads. NASA communication
satellites help scientists collect data from the balloon experiments.

Antarctic balloon flights can last much longer than flights in other
places because of the polar vortex and because there is very little
atmospheric or temperature change. Constant daylight in Antarctica
means no day-to-night temperature fluctuations on the balloon, which
helps it stay at a nearly constant altitude during the flight.

"We are extremely proud of our launch crew in Antarctica," said W.
Vernon Jones, senior scientists for suborbital research at NASA
Headquarters, Washington. "Continuous operations support for three
balloons in the air at one time, using the finest balloon vehicle
made for this kind of cutting-edge scientific research, led to this
major achievement," he added.

"If all three of these missions achieve their flight goals, this
Antarctic campaign will result in almost 90 days of near-space
flight at an average altitude of 23 miles, with experiments
averaging more than 4,300 pounds," Jones said.

"This annual scientific balloon expedition demonstrates the deep
commitment and very fruitful collaboration between NASA and the NSF
that enables a wide variety of forefront scientific research in
Antarctica," said Karl Erb, director of the Office of Polar Programs.

"Just as NSF provided the infrastructure and logistics support that
made this hat trick possible, NASA provides the satellite
communications link that is the lifeblood of astrophysics research
at our new research station at the South Pole. Our partnership
benefits both agencies and more importantly, the U.S. science
community," he said.

"Demanding science and excellent atmospheric conditions over the
Antarctica in the austral summer led our two agencies to sign an
agreement in 2003 aimed at increasing the launch tempo from one or
two to three balloons per season. With modest investments but
considerable effort by both agencies, this goal is now achieved" he added.
Supporting the three science teams, the staff from NASA's Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBC), Palestine, Texas, traveled to
Antarctica to launch the giant helium balloons.

"With the launch of the third balloon, we put 32,000 pounds of
hardware, including 13,000 pounds of science instruments, into near
space in a span of just over a week. It's a magnificent
accomplishment." said Danny Ball, site manager for New Mexico State
University the operator of the CSBF for NASA. "We're extremely proud
of our personnel who worked through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Years in harsh conditions in Antarctica to make this possible."

To monitor the real time flight tracks of the three payloads on line, visit:
http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/ice0708.htm

For more information on NASA's balloon operations, visit:
http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code820/

For information on NSF sponsored scientific research in Antarctica, visit:
http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=ANT
 




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